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Fact Sheets

Humanitarian conditions in Dominica continue to improve. The Government of the Commonwealth of Dominica (GoCD) is prioritizing distributions of food, shelter assistance, and safe drinking water to meet the needs of hurricane-affected people. To improve access and facilitate recovery and reconstruction activities, including the restoration of water supply networks, the GoCD and international stakeholders have also prioritized the removal of storm debris.

On October 5, the USAID Caribbean Hurricanes Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) delivered an additional 150 rolls of plastic sheeting, as well as water containers, to support storm-affected Dominicans. On October 3, the DART delivered an additional 160 plastic sheets and 100 blankets to Government of the Commonwealth of Dominica (GoCD) officials for onward distribution to Jimmitt, Dominica.

Overall, the humanitarian situation in Dominica has improved, with a gradual restoration of road access, as well as electricity and water supplies, according to the UN and other relief organizations. While humanitarian response efforts continue, the Government of the Commonwealth of Dominica (GoCD) and other stakeholders are beginning to shift their focus to early recovery.

Members of USAID’s Caribbean Hurricanes Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) on Dominica are coordinating with stakeholders to meet the urgent needs of hurricane-affected populations. To ensure the rapid delivery of assistance throughout the island, particularly isolated areas, the DART is working closely with Government of the Commonwealth of Dominica (GoCD) officials and Joint Task Force-Leeward Islands (JTF-LI), consisting of members from DoD’s Southern Command.

On September 26 and 27, four flights carrying a combined 45 metric tons (MT) of USAID/OFDA relief commodities—including plastic sheeting, hygiene kits, water containers, and blankets sufficient for approximately 30,000 beneficiaries—arrived in Dominica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Sint Maarten. With these flights, USAID/OFDA has airlifted a total of more than 151 MT of relief supplies for the humanitarian response in the Caribbean. Previous flights had transported USAID/OFDA relief items to Antigua and Barbuda and The Bahamas.

On September 21, USAID Administrator Mark Green announced approximately $575 million in new humanitarian funding to support emergency response activities in Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, and Yemen—the four conflict-affected countries facing severe food insecurity and malnutrition crises—as well as neighboring countries hosting refugees fleeing those crises.

Members of USAID’s Caribbean Hurricanes Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) on Dominica are coordinating with humanitarian stakeholders on the island to meet the needs of hurricane-affected populations. Constrained road access is a significant challenge to relief operations, and the DART is working closely with Government of the Commonwealth of Dominica (GoCD) officials, other donors, and relief organizations to facilitate the rapid delivery of assistance throughout Dominica.

Post-gu seasonal assessments indicate that while Famine—IPC 5—levels of acute food insecurity have been averted in Somalia, the risk of Famine persists through December for internally displaced persons (IDPs) and other vulnerable populations in the worst-affected areas of Somalia.4 In addition, an estimated 3.1 million people are expected to face Crisis—IPC 3—or Emergency—IPC 4—levels of acute food insecurity through December, with an estimated 6.2 million people likely to require humanitarian assistance, according to the USAID-funded Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) and Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Unit–Somalia (FSNAU).

On September 21, members of USAID’s Caribbean Hurricanes Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) arrived on the island of Dominica to conduct damage and humanitarian needs assessments. The DART confirms that Hurricane Maria caused widespread devastation on Dominica, including a critical loss of roofs, many obstructed roads, and damaged electrical, water, and telecommunications networks.